Virginia Governor Approves New Regulations for Rallies at Robert E. Lee Statue

After the Charlottesville riots back in August, Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe passed an executive order temporarily suspending all events at the Robert E. Lee statue in Richmond.

Starting this week, rallies can once against be held at the monument – but there are a few new rules.

Rallies expected to attract more than 10 participants must now receive a permit from the state, and crowd sizes cannot exceed 500 people. Previously, the maximum crowd size was 5,000 people.

This seems fairly reasonable. However, the new rules also take aim at gun owners and prohibits firearms at all permitted events.

The emergency regulations were recommended by the state task force formed in the aftermath of the deadly demonstrations in August. They were approved by Gov. McAuliffe and officially went into effect on Monday.